Posthumous Works
In August 2004, the independent record label Jays Music, with the backing of EMI, released an album of Matthew Jay rarities and early recordings. The collection, Matthew Jay: Too Soon, showcased many of the songs which brought the artist to the attention of EMI in the first place.
On 24 September 2006, "What Would Love Do Now?", one of the songs Jay had been working on shortly before his death, was released exclusively for download.
In June 2007, EMI gave the rights to the videos of all three Matthew Jay singles to Jay's family, and they in turn decided to make the videos available for download, and declared that all profits from the sale of these video downloads should go to the UNICEF Born Free from HIV campaign, as UNICEF was a charity that their son supported.
Over the next 12 months, Matthew's friends and family worked together to complete the songs Matthew had left behind. Taking the recordings of vocals and acoustic backing which they had found on Matthew's computer after his death, they slowly and considerately built full songs upon the framework he'd provided, until they had a dozen finished tracks. The result was 'Further Than Tomorrow;' an album of previously unheard material. This, together with a single 'Our Time,' and a new accompanying video, were released in the summer of 2008.
The works met similar critical acclaim to Jay's earlier releases, securing airplay on key radio stations, and a high ranking in respected music publications, including Q Magazine, who instantly made 'She Didn't Understand' their track of the Day.
When released for sale on Amazon.co.uk on 30 June 2008, 'Further Than Tomorrow' sold out in one day - illustrating the enduring interest in Jay's music.
On Friday 10 October 2008 a tribute concert was held to celebrate the music of Matthew Jay. Nine acts, including Starsailor's James Walsh, and Chris Difford from Squeeze performed one of Jay's songs, as well as showcasing their own work. The concert was at The Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK, and all profits were donated to Amnesty International.
Read more about this topic: Matthew Jay
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